It’s been theorized that the most dangerous round in any fight is the first round. So new is the moment, so unfamiliar, that a lapse in judgment (based on assumption) can see a fighter finished quickly. It doesn’t matter how much footage has been watched; each fight is something new and violent.
In doing research for this, it seemed like all rounds should be thought of the same way. Logic would suggest that the more familiar a fighter gets with his opponent, the more openings he can see and take advantage of.
And while all of this may or may not be true on a fight-by-fight basis, what becomes clear is that both men are in danger and risk of defeat. When two fighters are willing to risk all in any given round, their clash can be breathtaking.
Be it the first, second, third or any other round, when two fighters suddenly come to the realization that the time is now, they start something totally new; as if everything that came before was simply a prequel to the real fight; a fight that in many ways hadn’t started until that very moment.
Here are 12 such rounds, where the moment was realized by both, and seized.